Conceived by local restaurateurs Neil Grant and Barry Engelbrecht, Open Door restaurant at Constantia Uitsig wine estate has opened in Cape Town, South Africa’s Southern Suburbs area.
Formerly the River Café, and located in a historic building at the estate’s entrance, the contemporary eatery was designed by South African firm Inhouse Brand Architects with minimal changes to its exterior. Built between 1917 and 1918, the building was originally a primary school for children from neighboring farm areas—an important design influence.
The 180-seat restaurant’s relaxed interiors were revamped with a streamlined and open-style layout. Walls that once separated the main dining room and bar from the rest of the restaurant have been removed, while a new central bar and dining area was created, and restrooms were relocated to former administrative office space. Guests now enter the restaurant through the newly glass-enclosed courtyard, and Inhouse also added a wood deck to the side of the building.
The glass-covered lobby features wood beams arranged irregularly along the ceiling, creating a warm ambiance—an effect continued throughout the restaurant with dark wood elements and a tonal palette. The French Provencal-inspired eatery, for example, boasts white walls in the main dining area, charcoal-hued mosaic tiles and feature walls, a breakfast room highlighted by chalk gray colors, and monochromatic floor tiles.
Adjacent to the open-style kitchen, the bar juxtaposes timber, marble, and steel aspects, such as a custom screen fixture that diffuses light to create a warm, inviting space. Sleek light fixtures line a wall in the dining room complete with booths upholstered in bright blue.
Open Door pays homage to its heritage with school memorabilia placed throughout, as well as reclaimed doors and doorframes that hang from the ceiling in the former tasting room—now relocated elsewhere onsite.
